I love tea. I really do. It is one of the best things there are. …and right now I have a nice cup full of it.

I have to say I am a tea snob though, I can’t stand those popular brands that are in most people’s kitchens; PG, Tetley etc. I think it’s because I don’t drink tea like most Brits; no milk for me, don’t let it brew very long and definitely no sweetening. Nope I am a pure and simple guy.

My brand/type of choice for everyday drinking it Twinings Earl Grey also like a good Darjeeling and love Oolong and Jasmine.

I prefer good loose leaves, boiling hot water and no more than a minute (depending on the tea) to brew.

Sometimes, like today, it’s especially good and makes me want to go make another cup straight away just the same. It’s probably a case of me being different and needing it more rather than the tea being that much better but either way it just makes me feel better and I can’t drink it quick enough.

Generally, American’s aren’t great at tea – it’s usually the water that’s not hot enough. That being said, for my specific taste, England isn’t always great either. Too often tea in UK restaurants or cafes is standard “builder’s'” tea over brewed in a large pot that’s been topped up all day, yuk! …all tannin and no real tea flavour. You can find good places (here and there) and when you do find tea here is often better because they don’t have those generic blends you are usually offered a choice of tea bags and given hot water to make it in just as you like it.

Ordering tea in an American restaurant can be a crap shoot. Ever since some clown spilled a very hot McDonalds coffee in their laps and sued for big bucks, getting a really hot beverage can be a problem. And it’s hard to get a good cup of tea from lukewarm water.

But that doesn’t mean all restaurants are bad at it, or you can’t get a good cup at home, and it’s not hard to find good quality tea, at least around here.

Twinings is a favorite even in our home! Being Indian it’s rather odd that I don’t drink more tea. We are fortunate that we have easy access to some great quality teas right at home. In fact on our last trip to India we paid a visit to one of the popular tea-growing hill stations and stocked up on enough tea leaves to last a battalion for a year 🙂

I only nominated 11. That’s what I read in the rules. It was trying enough. I like mindless little games and quizzes. But I think most of all, I like to tell people all about the glory that is Gretchen.

Strangely, there’s instances that draw opposite characters together in the same places. Can’t say I do the tea snob bit, being (and brace yourself, you might find it a trifling gutter-ish) I’m a tea slob that prefers ice tea and light sugar. I even like some types of ice coffee. Even worse, one of those popular brands Lipton.

To compound things further, I’m a mix between regional Mid-Atlantic and Southern US. Don’t fit southern because the flavor of mint is unappealing to me. Don’t even mention sassafras and sarsaparilla (root beer.) Ice tea is a strange concoction with a b+++++dized story behind it (at least in the States, if you heard this, maybe you can correct me where I’m wrong.)

The reason that one never hears about what World’s Fair came to St.Louis between the late 1800’s and early 1900 is, it was (in the current vernacular) an epic fail. One big reason during that time then (so back and far ago) was the demand for ice. Missouri can have blistering summer heatwaves. Short of it, many drinks and desserts unheard of before that period were created (whether intentionally or by accident.) Ice Tea had to do for those who didn’t imbibe beer too. Adolphus Busch (Budweiser fame) purportedly was livid after the whole affair.

You’re probably thankful you don’t have taste buds such as mine. Fair enough. Should you however come to the States, I am most certain you would not like tea (let alone ice tea) in the Deep South. Neither do I. It’s like drinking liquid sugar. It’s so deadly sweet, why it insults the Maple Syrup makers up in Vermont. Wouldn’t recommend even trying to have southern style ice tea with pancakes. Flapjacks – if you must. The pancakes would wind up to be et like soggy Captain Crunch Cereal.

Sorry, didn’t mean to prattle unnecessarily here on so long. I deeply beg you pardon.

Thanks for the information and no need to apologise. I am not the sort of snob that looks down on how other enjoy their tea; people should have things how they want them. I’m the ‘rather not have it if I can’t get it how I like it’ kind of snob – some might say I’m fussy 😛
I actually am in the States (California). I tried cold tea… didn’t like it. I do have a soft spot for Iced Coffee on occasion. In the UK, not sure if it’s here there used to be (maybe still is) a popular brand of coffee syrup that was hickory flavoured specifically for use as Iced Coffee, I have fond memories of that.